Ultra Processed Foods (UPF)

‘Ultra-processed food’ (UPF) is not an entirely new concept but it’s been making headlines over the past few months thanks to Dr Chris van Tulleken, author of ‘Ultra Processed People’.

An eye-opening, if somewhat technical read, Chris van Tulleken lays bare the ‘edible substance’ that we call food. 

Why are we sharing this with you? At Nourished Communities we believe in a healthier and more sustainable food system, connecting people with the food that they eat through transparency and championing food that serves our communities.

Here’s what you need to know…

The state of our food 

What happens when the PURPOSE of your food is profit maximisation? Arguably the biggest takeaway from the book - the realisation of just how processed our food has become!

Xanthan gum, modified starch, emulsifiers… Sound familiar? These are just some of the tasteless commodity ingredients extracted by global food companies to produce so much of our food. Where do they come from? 

They are extracted and modified from a handful of ultra efficient mono-crops (e.g. Maize) and used to make food;

• Last longer on the shelf
• Look better than the competition
• Interact with the human hunger system to be consumed in excess. 

So what?

The impact of UPF on our health

Promoted in multi-million £ advertising campaigns (often targeting children), here are some of the ill-effects that UPF is said to have on our health:

• Chronic diseases: High consumption of UPFs is linked to an increase in chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.
• Mental health: Emerging research suggests a connection between UPFs and mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. 
• Nutritional deficiency: Despite being calorie-dense, UPFs often lack essential nutrients, leading to a paradox where people can be overweight but still malnourished.
• Addiction and overeating: UPFs are engineered to be hyper-palatable, triggering pleasure centres in the brain and leading to overconsumption. This can create a cycle of addiction, making it challenging to adopt healthier eating habits.

So what should we do about it, Mr Coco Pops Monkey?

What action can we take?

Van Tulleken emphasises that while our food systems are broken (particularly in the UK), there are actionable steps we can take to combat the dominance of UPFs:

• Awareness: Look at ingredients labels and be wary of anything you wouldn’t find in your kitchen cupboard
• Cook more at home: Prepare meals from scratch using whole, minimally processed ingredients
• Call for government intervention: Restrictions on marketing and warning labels for UPF
• Call for an end of industry informing policy: Don’t let entities like the charity ’British Nutrition Foundation’ (funded by Coca-Cola, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Mars etc.) inform policy in the way that they do.
• Community support: Help build a community around healthy eating to make lasting changes. This can involve local food initiatives, cooking classes, and social media groups focused on healthy living.

Alternatives to common UPFs:

Brickells Ice Cream

Chapter 1. Hackney Gelato is used as a poster child for some classic UPF ingredients used in Ice Cream. Brickels is delicious and made from just a few natural ingredients

Huskers Coconut Milk

Did you know coconut milk often contains stabilisers and thickeners? Huskers coconut milk is organic, unadulterated, creamy, and unbelievably delicious. 

Organic Sour Dough, London Fields 

Don’t be duped by Supermarket Sourdough. Their factory made loaves can contain as many as 15 ingredients, including palm oil and commercial yeast.